First published in 1926, the original blurb reads: "Joseph Parkes - a descendant of Joseph Priestley, the great scientist and divine - was a notable man during the Reform Era in the nineteenth century. He played an important part in the agitation for the extension of the franchise in 1832; he was secretary of the Commission which prepared the Municipal Reform Act of 1835; he was founder of the Reform Club, and was active in most of the movements of the time. No student of history should fail to read this illuminating study of a remarkable man." Today it can be read in its historical context.